No Greater Distance Than Death
by reindeerguardian
Summary: Oneshot. Takes place during "sons of mars" Magic Man's point of view during the episode, and afterwards. Finn may have had to go all the way to Mars for Jake, but Magic Man learns that there is no greater distance than life from death.


Magic Man awoke to the sound of light footsteps making their way across the tracks toward him. He smiled, looked up, and whistled to gain the creature's attention. Deer were such easy creatures to trick. He remembered when he gave a stag hands, and smiled.

"Hey friend, don't be afraid. I'm a gypsy child like you, running wild and crazy," he chuckled. He suddenly felt something in the atmosphere. "Hold on, wow." He said looking up. He could just barely make out something falling towards the earth. "A falling star. Oh, it's too far though." He twirled around, whipping off his cape and transformed the deer into a telescope. "Magic!" him singsonged. "You're welcome." He held up the telescope to observe the falling star. Though he had a hunch it was more than just that. "Hmm..." he murmured peering through the 'scope. "Let's see here..." he gaped when he realized his hunch had been correct. This wasn't any ordinary falling star.

"Oh Glob." He breathed, quite literally. His brother, Grob Gob Glob Grod, was descending from Mars. That couldn't be good. Suddenly, he felt it; something sucking out his Magic Juice!

"Ah! He cried, "My juice!" he wiggled his fingers. "Not flowing right." That couldn't be good. He regained himself and grinned "dream on, honey! You can't catch this!" he laughed running away following the tracks to get a head start. "Magic away!" he cried, disappearing into a portal only to reappear a few feet ahead. He sat up and saw his brother very, very close. He took off running, while keeping an eye on how close Grob Gob Glob Grod was getting, he didn't notice two adventurers ahead of him. He crashed into the two. He groaned, and noticed his brother extremely close. He noticed the dog in front of him. His mind raced with a brilliant plan. "Wazoo!" he sung, transforming the dog into his body, and himself to look like the dog.

"h-hey," the boy said in protest.

"Shhhh." Magic Man hissed, picking up a rock and throwing it at the boys head to shut him up. He ran over and laid by the boy, feigning unconsciousness. His brother was upon them, and lifted up the dog with his body.

"Arise!" Grob Gob Glob Grod commanded. "Magic Man, you caused nothing but turmoil and chaos for us on mars. We thought banishing you to this world would help you see the light in our utopian super society. Now tell us, what have you learned in these past 200 years?"

Jake turned his head to look behind him. There wasn't anyone else around. "Are you guys talking to me?" he asked. Magic Man stifled a giggle.

"Magic Man, you have made life on Mars a nightmare." The boy was rousing from his sleep. "Now we must return you to Mars, were vengeance awaits thee." The boy looked over at them.

"That's not—"he started, but Grob Gob Glob Grod had already left with Jake. "Magic Man, get up!" he hissed hitting the 'unconscious' Magic Man on the head.

"Did it work? Is he gone?" he asked opening one eye. The boy, who seemed awfully familiar, flipped himself upright.

"They took my friend to Mars! Fly me there and help me save him!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I can't, you see," he said wiggling his fingers to show little amount of magic. "The transfer drained me; I can barely float, so I just gotta wait till they kill your friend! See ya!" he called floating away in laughter.

"No!" the boy cried, jumping on him from behind. "Waddya mean kill?" he asked, wrapping his arms and legs around Magic Man's body.

"They're gonna put him on trial for my crimes, ain't nobody gonna pardon these crimes on my head, not even the King of Mars! And once he's dead, my magic juice will return to my body." He narrowed his eyes. "Flowing through me like moonlight through the ghost dance." The boy squeezed him ferociously.

"Squeeze!" he cried in the process.

"I wish I could help you, except I don't!"

"You suck-you-butt!" the boy hissed angrily. Magic Man giggled at the insult.

"c'mon let's go to my house! C'mon let's go to my house!" he singsonged, floating the two of them to his house.

"How long have you had this house?" the boy, who said his name was Finn, asked looking around at the dump Magic Man called home.

"Yes, that is true." He agreed and the two walked inside.

"There's gotta be something in here that can help me save Jake."

"Oh, there is. But you'll never make it work."

"What? Where is it?" Finn cried looking around.

"I don't know! Have you seen my trash-palace?"

"Yeah, what's the deal? This place is wrecked." Magic Man fiddled with the peeling wallpaper. "Ewww...ewww! What am I stepping in?" he asked. Magic Man turned to look and grinned.

"That's where I blow my nose all day!" the boy made noises of disgust.

"Yes, welcome to my tower of light! Everyone is welcome to share this magic kingdom. Squirrels, black mold, worms, poison ivy, even tiny manticore!"

"Magic Man, what is your deal for real?"

"I dunno. You tell me."

"Well for one, I think this place is a reflection of your own sick brain." In fact, Magic Man hadn't been home in over 70 years. Which was why it was such a dump. "Look at this, yuck." He said taking down a dust covered picture from the wall. "Who's this you're standing with in this picture?"

"memories drift in and out of my mind, and the little people get left behind, so whaaateveerrr!" he sang.

"Alright..." the boy murmured tossing the picture on the ground. Magic Man couldn't help but look at it. It brought back memories. Painful memories.

"Well, I'm gonna keep digging through this stuff till I find what you're talking about." But Magic Man hadn't heard him. He was lost in his memories. It hurt him when he'd lost her. This boy was going to lose someone close to him too if he didn't do something. A young boy definitely couldn't bear the loss if he, a powerful old wizard couldn't. And he didn't want anyone to end up like him. Alone.

"It's downstairs."

"Huh? What?"

"My special thing." He said jamming his hand between the slats on the wall. The walls opened up. "Ta-da! C'mon!" he dove into the next room's dirt floor.

"That's my special thing." He said pointing at the strange machine stuck in the ground. "A Martian transporter."

"This can take me to Mars?" Finn asked breathlessly.

"Yeah. My brothers gave it to me when they banished me here. They thought I'd learn love and use it to back home." The boy stood on top of the machine and asked him how it worked.

"You put your hands on those thingies and think stuff about people. But it's broken, hasn't worked in 200 years."

"But, it has to work! It has to," he said, concentrating on saving his best friend, his brother, his idol. "For Jake." Suddenly the machine powered up, and started transporting Finn away. Magic Man looked on in awe. He hadn't been able to get that thing to work in all his 200 years stuck on Earth! What had made this boy so special? Was it because he loved? Wasn't that why he'd been banished, to learn love?

But how could he? Not after losing her….not after losing Margles. Although, they hadn't necessarily said it had to be a romantic love, but anything less only reminded him of his family…his friends…how he'd betrayed them. No…it was they who'd betrayed him! He'd loved Margles with all his heart. And after she died, what had they'd done? Laugh at his sorrow? Proclaim him a fool for wasting his time with a woman? No, they'd deserved all that he'd done to them. In fact, they deserved worse.

It was the reason he'd become evil. He didn't think evil was quiet the word though. More jerkish than anything else. Everywhere he went, he saw people doing good, people being happy, people in love. It hurt to see others have things he never could. So he shared his sorrow with them, hoping they'd learn and realize that happiness only comes from bringing others sorrow. In fact, he knew this! Why had he given in? He'd led the boy straight to his transporter. Magic Man leaned back and sighed. He knew why though. For once, he actually couldn't bear to see someone suffer the way he did. He couldn't let this boy lose someone dear to him. He looked over at his picture of him and Margles. He missed her. He hoped she was happy in the 45th Dead World.

Suddenly, he felt his body changing, he was himself again! His powers were back! Not that it mattered. Magic wouldn't bring her back. He picked up the picture and lovingly stroked her paper image.

"Oh Margles…"

"Magic Man!" someone was shouting his name. It was that boy!

"Huh?" and the next thing he knew, everything went black.

He awoke to complete darkness. Well, almost complete darkness. Cosmic Owl sat across from him with large unblinking eyes.

"Well, hello there Cosmic Owl. Still a big nerd, I see!" he giggled getting ready to magic himself away.

"Magic Man, I've brought you here for a reason." He looked around.

"Where exactly is here?"

"The gateway to the forty fifth dead world." Magic Man raised an eyebrow.

"Why? I'm very busy at the moment, I need to shoo two hooligans out of my house."

"In time. I believe this can wait."

"I wait for no maaan" he sang

"Well, it's a good thing were waiting for a woman." Magic Man turned to look him in his large eyes.

"What?" Cosmic Owl nodded. "WHO?" he asked. What woman wanted to see him? He already knew though.

"No sooner had his mind put two and two together, when a blinding flash of white light forced his eyes shut. And when he opened them again, there she was.

"Margles," he breathed breathlessly, eyes going wide. She nodded.

"Welcome Home Magic Man. I've missed you." He ran at her and held her in his arms.

"I'd give all the magic in the world to stay here with you." He whispered. The Cosmic Owl's voice rang out about them.

_And so it shall be._

And all the magic was sucked from his body, but he didn't care. He didn't even feel it. He had her. He had his Margles, now he could be happy. Now he could finally love once more for the rest of eternity.

Back at the Trash-Palace….

"Dude, I think you killed him." Finn's eyes widened with worry.

"I didn't mean to hit him that hard!"

"Don't worry Finn; he's in a better place."

"Now my new prison is shame." Finn sighed as they buried Magic Man's body outback next to another grave labeled "Margles."

**Well, here I am, procrastinating my other stories that I should be updating, but after "sons of mars" I just had to do this. I feel bad about killing Magic Man, but at least he gets to be with his beloved. R&R!  
**


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